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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23804653">Know You Better</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/incorrectbatfam/pseuds/incorrectbatfam'>incorrectbatfam</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>DCU (Comics), Young Justice - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - No Powers, First Kiss, Fluff, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, M/M, Making Out</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-03 00:35:08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,536</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23804653</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/incorrectbatfam/pseuds/incorrectbatfam</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>It’s totally normal to make out with your best friend in order to prove a point.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Bart Allen/Jaime Reyes, Jaime Reyes/Traci Thirteen</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>125</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Know You Better</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Thank you to @bisexualoftheblade for the beta-read and the inspiration for this story</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <span>“A fuckton of almonds”</span>
  </em>
  <span> was what sent everyone over the edge.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>While most students danced away to the remix of whatever pop songs the DJ picked, Jaime, Bart, Tye, Paco, and Brenda were on the side of the cafeteria that all the tables were pushed to. Paco had snuck a Cards Against Humanity pack under his jacket and the friends quickly found themselves more interested in that than the homecoming dance around them. Bart stood out among them, being younger than the rest, but the sophomore proved time and time again that he was just like the seniors. Normally people were wary when an upperclassman chose to hang out with someone younger, but nobody doubted Jaime and Bart for even a second.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So that brought them to play an adult game at a high school dance. Brenda picked a black card that had printed: </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>“MTV’s new reality show features eight washed-up celebrities living with ______.”</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bart’s card won that round. It wasn’t dirty or politically charged like the other answers. It wasn’t even that funny in hindsight, but the randomness of it and the randomness of Bart Allen was enough to send the entire table of teens into a fit of giggles and even agreeing to make it an inside joke from now on.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My turn!” the younger boy proclaimed, drawing a black card from the deck. He cleared his throat and read in a bad Morgan Freeman impression, “In a world ravaged by blank, our only solace is blank.” In his normal voice, Bart added, “You have to pick two.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The table was quiet as the other four shuffled through their cards. One by one, they slapped down their pair of answers. Everyone looked at Tye Longshadow since he was the last one, but also most confident in his table-slapping. Bart scooped up the cards and read through each of them silently. The last one he came to was Tye’s, which he burst out laughing at.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh man, this is great!” the fifteen-year-old exclaimed. “Listen to this: In a world ravaged by the dentist, our only solace is a big, beautiful mouth packed to the brim with sparkling teeth.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Heads turned towards Jaime and Tye made no effort to hide the smug smile on his face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What? It makes six figures!” Jaime said defensively.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So do surgeons,” Brenda pointed out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And NASCAR drivers,” added Tye.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And porn stars,” Paco chimed in.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The entire table lost it, howling almost as loud as the blaring music. They didn’t even notice when Jaime’s supposed-to-be date, Traci Thurston, approached with a slightly annoyed expression on her face. It probably didn’t help that, instead of sitting like a normal person, Bart was draped over Jaime like a jacket. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Jaime, babe,” she said, taking the seat next to him, much to everyone’s chagrin, “Why don’t you join everyone on the dance floor? I think they’re about to play a slow song next.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The boy hummed non committedly. “I’m good, the guys and I aren’t big dancers, you know.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bart spared a glance over his shoulder and counted at least five couples seriously getting it on to the tune of Robin Thicke. The boy grimaced and leaned his body weight further onto his friend like a koala. The rest of the friends stopped paying attention. Paco nabbed a bag of chips from another table while Brenda and Tye laughed over a funny video on the latter’s phone. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well,” Traci continued, “some guys are throwing a party after. Wanna go?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You can go if you want,” Jaime said, grabbing some food from Paco. “We’re probably just gonna get burgers or something and go home. I don’t think anyone else is up for another party.” He looked to his friends, who all agreed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The girl rolled her eyes, no longer trying to hide her frustration towards Jaime as she stood up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re supposed to be my date, Jaime,” she said, voice rising steeply, “but so far all you’ve done is blow me off to play cards with people you already see every day. You’re obviously more into them than you are into me. Especially the redhead!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Traci, Brenda’s like a sister to me. You know I don’t like her that way,” Jaime countered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not her, the other one!” She glared daggers at Bart, which made him wrap his arms just a little more tightly around his friend. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Bart’s my best friend, of course I’m gonna hang out with him,” the older boy said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not like– ugh, never mind!” Traci waved him off. “You have fun doing whatever it is you do. I’m gonna find my girlfriends.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Everyone looked at each other uncomfortably as the brunette traipsed off. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was Tye who finally broke the silence by saying, “Wanna go to McDonald’s?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>***</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Three hours and seventy-five chicken nuggets later, Tye—the only one among them with a car—left to drop Paco and Brenda home since those two had an earlier curfew. That meant Bart was alone with Jaime in the nearly empty McDonald’s at ten PM. Their dress clothes from homecoming were rumpled up from the packed ride there. Jaime’s tie was undone, hanging loosely around his neck as he played with his soda straw mournfully. Bart wasn’t exactly the best at emotions, but he couldn’t sit there and allow his friend to be miserable. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He nudged Jaime gently. “Her-man-o, what’s up? You’re kinda quiet.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jaime rose to the bait like Bart expected. “It’s pronounced </span>
  <em>
    <span>hermano</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Got it, her-man-o,” he said, the intentional mispronunciation earning a playful shove from Jaime. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>After a moment, Jaime asked, “Do you think I should keep dating Traci?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bart wanted to say no. He wanted to say, </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Break up with her. She doesn’t know anything about you and you don’t know anything about her. You’re the most crash guy ever and you deserve someone who knows how to make you happy.”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Except that sounded too “Mister Nice Guy” so he refrained.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The older boy continued, “She’s cool and all, but I don’t know if I like her as more than a classmate, </span>
  <em>
    <span>me sientes</span>
  </em>
  <span>?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If you don’t like her, then why keep going?” Bart asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s the thing though!” Jaime cried. “I don’t know how I feel about her. How do I know if I care enough to be in this relationship?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How much did you actually learn about her?” the sophomore asked. “Like in all the time you were dating, what about her did you care enough to remember?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jaime paused.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are some basic things? Like things you know about, I dunno, me for example, but not about her?” Bart challenged, trying to get his point across.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Like...what kind of things?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s her last name?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I...don't actually know.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Where’s she going to college?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That never came up.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And what about me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Keystone, duh. You won’t shut up about their physics program.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s her favorite color?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And what’s mine?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A tie between red and gold.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s her favorite food?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not sure.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And what’s my favorite food?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Chicken Whizzies, ever since the day we met.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Does she like her family?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t even know who she lives with.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright, and who do I live with? What’s my family like?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Dude, you got this giant extended family of forensics nerds and runners. I’ve met them all, and honestly Iris scares me a little. You’re all full of energy and sometimes you argue with your first-cousin-once-removed Wally, but you’d do anything for them.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do you like most about her?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jaime faltered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“...what don’t you like about her?” Bart asked, more quietly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Their faces were inches apart. Neither of them noticed each other moving through the heated conversation. Bart could smell the orange soda, that’s how close they were.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jaime whispered, “She’s not you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In an instant, they were all over each other. Right there, right now in the tight fast food booth wearing wrinkled homecoming clothes. Bart wasn’t sure who initiated and like hell if he cared. His mind was focused on Jaime, Jaime, Jaime. He hung onto every second, every sloppy lip movement and teeth clacking. Hands roamed, and Bart soaked in every defined muscle feature under his fingers. He felt Jaime’s nails dig into his hair and they pulled each other closer, closer, closer. Lips dancing, bodies packed together like an airtight seal. A small moan slipped from Bart’s lips as Jaime’s hand traveled from his hair, down his spine, to the small of his back. Bart could live in that moment forever, and by the sound of it, so could Jaime. Just when another small sound left Bart, he felt a tap on his shoulder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In all their fun, he conveniently forgot they were in a public establishment. One that was at the end of closing hours. They hurried to grab their things and leave the poor, tired employees alone. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tye’s car was already waiting for them outside. The driver had his arms crossed, looking majorly unimpressed having clearly witnessed the whole ordeal. Bart and Jaime got in the back, their hands never really leaving the other person’s body. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before the two could pick up where they left off, Tye said over his shoulder, “At least wait ‘til you’re out of my car.”</span>
</p>
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